The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cheeses of the World

by Steve Ehlers, Jeanette Hurt

Any way you cut it, cheese has global appeal.

Cheese is one of the most varied and flavorful foods in the world. Its unique appeal lies in its range of textures, aromas, flavors, means of production, and milk sources. With this guide, readers will discover everything they need to know about European and American cheeses, including the growth of artisan cheeses, how to shop for cheese, combining cheese with food and drink, cooking cheese, and making cheese.
• Over the past two decades, the quality, availability and popularity of artisan cheeses has grown
• Cheese consumption has increased from 11.3 to 31.2 pounds per person over the last 30 years
• 1?3 of the supermarkets offer full-service cheese counters with up to 300 varieties

Genres: Nonfiction, Cooking

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and informative. I'm a cheesehead .

[BriAnna Lola McKissen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cheesemonger at Harmon's was passing out Comté a few weeks ago, and it was the best thing I've EVER tasted. She proceeded to ramble off a bunch of things about France and the something or whatever cows in the whatever mountain region. I decided it was time I learned more about cheese. This book, like the others I've read in the Idiot's guide series is a nice overview, though not as entertaining in style and tone as some of the others. I'm about halfway through but already I'm overwhelmed by the long list of things I want to try, and I know a new word: caseophile. :) Luckily, I bought the Kindle version so I'll have it with me on my iPod when I get back to the store.

Update: finished now. It ends with some instruction on making your own cheese, which would have given it an extra star. However, it also spent an inordinate amount of time reviewing individual California cheesemakers, so it loses one and ends up back at 3. I'd guess the author wrote a lengthy article for the California food magazines that didn't find a publisher, so it was included here.